Study abroad awards give students “life-changing” opportunities

A dozen Manchester University students will embark on academic adventures abroad next school year as recipients of highly competitive MU Study Abroad Awards and Kauffman Awards.

The scholarships help MU students engage in potent learning opportunities in countries around the globe. Some travel with MU faculty during January Session classes, others immerse in other cultures for a semester or even a full school year, often living with families in Ecuador, Spain or Germany while attending university classes.

“I have never been out of the country and am excited to become exposed to other cultures. This trip definitely will be life-changing,” says senior Hannah Schutter of Crown Point, Ind. As a recipient of an MU Study Abroad Award, she will join MU’s popular Comparative Civilization class in Wales and Ireland during January session.

MU Study Abroad Award recipients for the 2014-2015 school year:

Bobbie Beckner, senior biology- chemistry major from Mooreland, Ind., will travel to Nicaragua during January Session with the MU Medical Practicum. Beckner and other students work alongside MU alumni medical professionals to deliver care to residents deep inside the Central American country every January.

Hannah Schutter, senior communication studies and English major from Crown Point, Ind., will travel to Britain and Ireland with a January Session class in Comparative Civilization led by MU history Professor Mark Angelos.

Mandy Toney, senior athletic training major from Richmond, Ind., will travel to Ireland and England with classes in International Sport Medicine and International Sport Governance taught by Jeff Beer and Ryan Hedstrom, associate professors of exercise and sport sciences.

Martin Voglewede, senior biology major from Oxford, Ind., also will travel to Nicaragua during January Session with the MU medical practicum led by Jeff Osborne, MU associate professor of chemistry.

Blake Woodward, junior art major from Hebron, Ind., will study Art in Context in Italy with a January Session class led by Thelma Rohrer, chair of MU’s Art Department.

Kauffman Award recipients for the 2014-2015 school year:

Katelynn Arn, senior art major from Van Wert, Ohio, will serve an internship at the Chicago Center for Urban Life & Culture for a semester next fall.

Jamie Dowdy, junior sociology major from Hebron, Ind., will study for a full school year in Marburg, Germany with BCA Study Abroad.

Mykayla Neilson, sophomore music education major from Millersburg, Ind., will spend a semester studying in Barcelona, Spain with BCA Study Abroad.

Emily Pleadwell, junior mathematics and Spanish major with a Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) minor from Lawrence, Mich., will spend a summer in France with a Pathways career development internship.

Erika Reffitt, senior music major and psychology minor from Twelve Mile, Ind., will spend a semester at Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Japan.